Starting Photographer!!!!

dm020486 · Aug 4, 2009

I am a starting assistant photographer. And I need to buy my own camera and lens. I have a Canon XTI now, but I dont think that this camera is the quailty that I need. I would like advice on what camera and lens will best fit my needs???

My Photos will be of People, wildlife, nature, landscapes.

I would like the camera to have a dpi level of at least 300 or be adjustable Dpi.

It can be nikon or canon.

Any help would be great!!!

ocular · Aug 4, 2009

Ok I could be wrong, but isn't dpi only used in printing ? It only matters when you save using dpi at 300 . What is your budget ?

musicaleCA · Aug 4, 2009

DPI (Dots Per Inch) only applies to printing and has nothing to do with the camera. While megapixels will limit how large a print you can reasonably make (say, I would "only" be able to cover the side of a building with an image from by 12MP 450D using a little Genuine Fractals to increase the image size just a bit to get a little more resolution to play with), they largely count for naught.

What is it in particular about your current camera body that you don't feel is up to the job?

KmH · Aug 5, 2009

dm020486 said:
I am a starting assistant photographer. And I need to buy my own camera and lens. I have a Canon XTI now, but I dont think that this camera is the quailty that I need. I would like advice on what camera and lens will best fit my needs???

My Photos will be of People, wildlife, nature, landscapes.

I would like the camera to have a dpi level of at least 300 or be adjustable Dpi.

It can be nikon or canon.

Any help would be great!!!

I would think whoever it is you would be assisting would be a good source for advice.

As noted cameras don't have a dpi function or setting. It appears you've done little or no research in the last few months. Previous thread . That doesn't bode well for a career in photography.

c.cloudwalker · Aug 5, 2009

You're question doesn't make sense to me. An assistant doesn't need a camera to be an assistant. If you shoot anything at all, it would be test shots with your boss's camera.

KmH · Aug 5, 2009

ocular said:
Ok I could be wrong, but isn't dpi only used in printing ? It only matters when you save using dpi at 300 .

Yes and No.

Dpi = dots per inch, and has almost nothing to do with photography. It is used on the professional level almost exclusively in the pre-press industry. NOTE: Dots are round.

The correct term relative to continuous tone printing of photographic images is actually ppi = pixels per inch NOTE: Pixels are square.

For web display ppi is meaningless and pixel dimensions are the only parameters that apply.

Pixels.......................................Dots

Image from Wikimedia Commons, under the "GNU Free Documentation License".

Christos_2006 · Aug 6, 2009

So i haven't posted here in a long time so this is kinda of a re-introduction post. So here goes, camera brand is irrelevant in my book it is just a tool. Although i do prefer Nikons, the D700 is a killer camera that has amazing high ISO capability without breaking the bank.
But that is something you haven't mentioned how much are you looking to invest? Your largest investment will not be in a camera body but rather the investment will be in quality glass.

dm020486 · Aug 7, 2009

I will be full time videographer but help the photographer when he goes on vacation, within a year he is retireing so I will become the photographer because I will be the only one that knows anything about that position within the company(budget). Price is about $1000 I am willing to spend for body and lens!

KmH · Aug 7, 2009

That's not an assistant.

Lens for what? Weddings? Sports? Product? Portraits?

New camera and lens or used?

Christos_2006 · Aug 7, 2009

dm020486 said:
I will be full time videographer but help the photographer when he goes on vacation, within a year he is retireing so I will become the photographer because I will be the only one that knows anything about that position within the company(budget). Price is about $1000 I am willing to spend for body and lens!

Assuming this is for weddings since you mentioned video as well. I don't know what lenses you are currently using but i would have to say the $1K will not be enough for both a body and quality lenses. you may browse ebay and craigslist to see if anybody is selling anything used.

KmH · Aug 7, 2009

+1 ^^^^

Sachphotography · Aug 8, 2009

Christos_2006 said:
dm020486 said:

I will be full time videographer but help the photographer when he goes on vacation, within a year he is retireing so I will become the photographer because I will be the only one that knows anything about that position within the company(budget). Price is about $1000 I am willing to spend for body and lens!

Click to expand...

Assuming this is for weddings since you mentioned video as well. I don't know what lenses you are currently using but i would have to say the $1K will not be enough for both a body and quality lenses. you may browse ebay and craigslist to see if anybody is selling anything used.

Um... I would have to beg to differ.....
He could pick up a Canon 20d on Ebay.... 250-300 Used
Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 300 NEW
Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 APO 170 new on Ebay
2 flash cards 8gbx 2 50 on Ebay
Flash ( any type) a half way decent on on Ebay 100
The total for all of that comes to 920.
That would give her a decent kit to get going.

1000 will be fine to get going. Keep in mind not everybody is going to be going for L Glass right off the bat. There are lens that work. May not be the optimum best, but they work.

Daniel

Jeffro · Aug 8, 2009

Sorry but this all has me confused!????!

Are you an assistant or a photographer or a videographer and you are also taking over when he retirers but you are not sure about what camera you need. Uhhh Like I said I am confused..... and your boss who is the big dog shoots a D60 and why would you not be using his equipment.

And what is wrong with the Canon XTI? I thought that was the about the same as a NIKON D60... About that range of camera???

The XSI is about the D90, "dont quote me on that" opps I did! LOL

Ok start fresh and please slowly try to explain what it is that you want people to help with.... I am LOST!

Sachphotography · Aug 8, 2009

Jeffro said:
Ok start fresh and please slowly try to explain what it is that you want people to help with.... I am LOST!

HE HE HE Aren't you always lost!!! :lmao:

c.cloudwalker · Aug 8, 2009

Jeffro said:
Sorry but this all has me confused!????!

Are you an assistant or a photographer or a videographer and you are also taking over when he retirers but you are not sure about what camera you need. Uhhh Like I said I am confused.....

:thumbup:

Not a whole lot makes much sense (if any) here.